Explore your city: Downtown Birmingham
Emily Williams
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Expressions
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After spending nearly two hours in Reed's Books, I moseyed across the street to Safari Cup, owned and operated by Dave and Sharon McLaughlin. They are Irish but grew up in Zimbabwe. Combining Irish heritage and a Zimbabwean upbringing, the Safari Cup owners offer a unique twist on traditional coffee houses. All the coffee brewed is from Africa, and every Wednesday and Thursday between 3 and 6 p.m. high tea is served with freshly baked pastries and scones. In addition, Safari Cup also serves lunch and dinner.
The African art for sale in the shop ranges from stone and bronze sculptures to woven ware and ceramics. Hanging along the walls upstairs are pictures of McLaughlin with famous people who have dined at Safari Cup. One picture that caught my attention was McLaughlin with Will Ferrell.
"I was in the shop one day and saw Will Ferrell walking up to Safari Cup. He and some of the other cast members from Talladega Nights came (in) and hung out. I especially liked the girl who starred as Ricky Bobby's wife in the film," McLaughlin said.
Eager to continue my exploration, I ventured over to Morris Street to the Peanut Depot. Covered in peanut shell dust, the single-room building is not much at first glance. In fact, I considered leaving until the general manager, Lex Legate, greeted me and offered to give me a tour.
Legate demonstrated the roasting process. The three main roasters are the original roasters dating to over 100 years ago, but the peanuts used for roasting do not come from Alabama.
"Because the soil down south has a lot of clay, southern peanuts have a burnt taste when roasted. Instead, we use Virginia peanuts. They are a better quality for roasting," Legate said.
My tour ended with a sample tasting. My favorite was the Cajun roasted peanut, but take caution, they are really spicy. I also bought a pound of salted, fresh-roasted peanuts for only $2.50.
Concluding my visit downtown, I ate dinner at Little Savannah's Restaurant and Bar in the Historic Forest Park neighborhood along Clairmont Avenue. The cozy, candlelit rooms of Little Savannah create a casual yet refined atmosphere. Owners Maureen and Clif Holt welcomed me at the door.
After being seated, I perused the appetizers. I decided to be adventurous, so I ordered the Guinness Seared Mississippi Frog Legs with Local Arugula Salad and Lemon-Caper Beurre Blanc. I had never tasted frog legs before and was a bit nervous when the chef brought them out to me. However, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed them!
For my main course I ordered Australian Burmandi fish with summer roasted vegetables. Dinner was topped off with chocolate bread pudding and a cup of Little Savannah's special blend coffee. I could not imagine any better way to end my day downtown than with coffee and chocolate!
The African art for sale in the shop ranges from stone and bronze sculptures to woven ware and ceramics. Hanging along the walls upstairs are pictures of McLaughlin with famous people who have dined at Safari Cup. One picture that caught my attention was McLaughlin with Will Ferrell.
"I was in the shop one day and saw Will Ferrell walking up to Safari Cup. He and some of the other cast members from Talladega Nights came (in) and hung out. I especially liked the girl who starred as Ricky Bobby's wife in the film," McLaughlin said.
Eager to continue my exploration, I ventured over to Morris Street to the Peanut Depot. Covered in peanut shell dust, the single-room building is not much at first glance. In fact, I considered leaving until the general manager, Lex Legate, greeted me and offered to give me a tour.
Legate demonstrated the roasting process. The three main roasters are the original roasters dating to over 100 years ago, but the peanuts used for roasting do not come from Alabama.
"Because the soil down south has a lot of clay, southern peanuts have a burnt taste when roasted. Instead, we use Virginia peanuts. They are a better quality for roasting," Legate said.
My tour ended with a sample tasting. My favorite was the Cajun roasted peanut, but take caution, they are really spicy. I also bought a pound of salted, fresh-roasted peanuts for only $2.50.
Concluding my visit downtown, I ate dinner at Little Savannah's Restaurant and Bar in the Historic Forest Park neighborhood along Clairmont Avenue. The cozy, candlelit rooms of Little Savannah create a casual yet refined atmosphere. Owners Maureen and Clif Holt welcomed me at the door.
After being seated, I perused the appetizers. I decided to be adventurous, so I ordered the Guinness Seared Mississippi Frog Legs with Local Arugula Salad and Lemon-Caper Beurre Blanc. I had never tasted frog legs before and was a bit nervous when the chef brought them out to me. However, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed them!
For my main course I ordered Australian Burmandi fish with summer roasted vegetables. Dinner was topped off with chocolate bread pudding and a cup of Little Savannah's special blend coffee. I could not imagine any better way to end my day downtown than with coffee and chocolate!